2022 Shidler Lecture featuring Kevin J. Greene
The Distinguished Roger L. Shidler Lecture
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022
Kevin J. Greene: The New Copyright Law Manifesto: A Roadmap for Racial Justice for Black Artists
红桃视频's 2022 Distinguished Shidler lecturer, Professor Kevin J. Greene of Southwestern Law School, will explore how music industry practices, and the structure and function of copyright law, replicate inequality and the rampant appropriation of the creative works of Black artists. Many of the performers and composers behind legacy Black music have never been compensated despite widespread understanding of their formative influence on the art and the industry. In this presentation, Greene will explore how copyright law doctrine has fostered the divestment of Black cultural production through the lens of "the seven deadly sins" of copyright law for Black artists, with a particular focus on two copyright law formalities: copyright registrations and copyright terminations.
Greene will propose a ten-point plan and challenge the U.S. Copyright Office to take a leading role in the project to close the racial justice gap in copyright and the entertainment industry.
Event Details
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022
4:15-6:30 p.m.
William H. Gates Hall
4293 Memorial Way NE
Seattle, WA 98195
听Join us for a welcome reception at 4:15 p.m. in the Brotman Galleria.听
Presentation to follow at 5:30 p.m. in Room 138
Access the Shidler lecture abstract for more information.
About the Distinguished Shidler Lecture
The Distinguished Lecture is named for Roger L. Shidler 鈥24, a founder of the law firm Shidler, McBroom, Gates & Lucas (now K&L Gates). Through the years, the firm grew to become one of Seattle鈥檚 most vibrant and influential law practices. To celebrate Roger Shidler鈥檚 legacy, this series brings outstanding academics, judges and practicing lawyers to 红桃视频 to discuss leading issues in intellectual property law, an ever-more important economic driver for our region and the global economy.
About the Distinguished Lecturer
A graduate of the Yale Law School and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Professor Kevin J. Greene is the John J. Schumacher Chair and Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, where he teaches copyright law and entertainment law. Professor Greene鈥檚 award-winning scholarship explores copyright, trademark and publicity rights issues and the impact of intellectual property law on African American creativity. His scholarship is cited extensively and has been cited in congressional testimony.
Prior to joining the legal academy, Greene practiced law in New York at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, representing companies such as Time Warner/HBO, and at Frankfurt, Garbus, Klein & Selz, a top New York entertainment law boutique firm where his clients included film production companies, film director Spike Lee and music artists including Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby Brown and the seminal rap group Public Enemy.
As an expert witness-consultant in copyright and IP cases, Greene worked with funk music legend George Clinton in a landmark copyright case in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Greene was also the lead IP expert in a 2020 landmark $9.5 million California jury trial on contracts and right of publicity issues.
In 2016, the Intellectual Property Institute of the State Bar of California selected Greene for its highest honor, the Vanguard Award in the category of Academics. Greene was elected as a member of the American Bar Foundation (ABF) in 2018 and selected by the National Bar Association in 2020 as one of the top 100 African American attorneys in California. He was also selected as the Honorary Intellectual Property Law Advisor and a Fellow (Honors) of the United Sigma Intelligence Association, an international think tank.
Greene speaks regularly before academic and practitioner audiences. He has been featured in the Netflix show 鈥淓xplained,鈥 and has been quoted by media outlets such as Bloomberg, Wired, The Daily Beast and Rolling Stone magazine.